Christmas Begins in Darkness
An Advent Devotion (Pt. 1): Isaiah 1:1-9.
A Prayer for the Beginning of Advent: God of all wisdom, our hearts yearn for the warmth of your love, and our minds search for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior, and strengthen us to grow in love, that at the dawn of his coming we may rejoice in his presence and welcome the light of his truth. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. -Amen.1
Christianity begins in darkness. As the guiding star appeared to the wise, the Zapotec civilization, with rituals of human sacrifice, was birthed in the Oaxacan Valley of the Americas. The idea of hope amidst the darkness was first sketched out as the superpowers of the Middle East continued their cycle of violence, expanding their power and overthrowing previous powers, only to fall at the feet of the next superpower.
At a time when the works of Homer were being written and the first Olympic games were in development, a man named Isaiah gained a deeper insight into what mattered. He saw a truth more important than the wealth of Egypt’s 24th dynasty, a truth which would prove more powerful than the expanding Neo-Assyrian empire, and with a greater legacy than the up-and-coming city of Rome.
The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. -Isaiah 1:1-3
This vision focused on one small kingdom caught between the superpowers. Yet it is addressed to all peoples, to all nations, indeed to the entire cosmos. For this one small people had been chosen to makegoodhappen in their own land and, through their faithfulness, to gather all nations around God. But, as in many churches of our day, most of Isaiah’s people failed to live up to their calling.
Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.”
Our lives have become so much less than what we were made to be. The pages of history prove our suffering, as a consequence of our rebellion. As Isaiah looks at the deeper reality of his vision he is amazed that we continue to exist at all:
“Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of the foot to the top of your head there is no soundness - only wounds and bruises and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. Daughter Zion is like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege. Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” -Isaiah 1:5-9
The advent journey begins with a song in the darkness, a song expressing the longing in our hearts for a life beyond what we have been able to attain:
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear(Chorus below)
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud, and majesty and awe(Chorus)
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave(Chorus)
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight(Chorus)
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery(Chorus)
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high
And order all things, far and nigh
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go(Chorus)
Chorus:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel2
Such songs of longing naturally give way to a prayer of confession:
“God of the future, you are coming in power to bring all nations under your rule. We confess that we have not expected your kingdom, for we live casual lives, ignoring your promised judgment. We accept lies as truth, exploit neighbors, abuse the earth, and refuse your justice and peace. In your mercy, forgive us. Grant us wisdom to welcome your way, and to seek things that will endure when Christ comes to judge the world.”
In Advent, owning our darkness gives us the necessary background to see more clearly the star of Christmas, and to follow its lead until a new song begins to blossom in our hearts in preparation for the second week of Advent:
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim
For the next three Sundays, you will receive poems, prayers, and promises to strengthen your journey through the Advent season. -Randy
Book of Common Worship: Daily Prayer (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993), p. 66.
Originally written in Latin by Monks over 1,200 years ago, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” was first combined with the its most familiar tune in the “English-language Hymnal” in 1851.